1. Field
The following generally relates to interface connection management, and more particularly, to interface connection management using a removable adapter for communications equipment.
2. Related Art
Communications systems commonly include spatially separate communications equipment that can be interconnected using one or more (“inter-equipment”) cables. In general, each inter-equipment cable terminates to the communications equipment via an interface (i.e., integrated-equipment interface) that is incorporated into, integral to or otherwise integrated into the communications equipment.
In general, the integrated-equipment interface includes a physical interface that allows signals to be exchanged among the communications equipment and the inter-equipment cables. This physical interface generally includes two sets of ports, namely, user-accessible ports and internal ports. The user-accessible ports are adapted, configured, operable or otherwise constructed (collectively “adapted”) to terminate the inter-equipment cables. The internal ports, on the other hand, are adapted to terminate one or more (“intra-equipment”) cables or wire arrays interconnecting a bus of the communications equipment and the integrated-equipment interface.
In addition to the ports, the integrated-equipment interface includes a number of electrical interconnects (e.g., wires, traces, etc.) that are adapted to appropriately interconnect the user-accessible and internal ports. Using this construction, the signals exchanged among the communications equipment and the inter-equipment cables pass between the user-accessible ports, the electrical interconnects, the internal ports and the intra-equipment cables.
In some environments, sets of the communications equipment can be arranged in respective equipment racks. Advantages of arranging the sets of communication as such include minimizing or effectively utilizing floor space occupied by such communications equipment, reducing lengths of the inter-equipment cables, logically collocating one or more pieces of the communications equipment, etc. In some instances, the racks can be positioned proximate to one another. As such, adhering to proper cable management paradigms is important for (i) efficiently routing the inter-equipment cables to minimize or effectively utilize space occupied by such cables, (ii) preventing damage or unexpected displacement of the inter-equipment cables, (iii) avoiding excessive cable bending or other external forces that are likely to damage the inter-equipment cables and/or their associated terminations.
In legacy communications equipment, the user-accessible ports and the inter-equipment cables are configured in accordance with standards for registered jacks, such as RJ45, RJ11 and the like. Thus, the inter-equipment cables terminate to respective plugs (or, alternately, jacks) and the user-accessible ports terminate to respective complementary jacks (or, alternatively, plugs). This way, the inter-equipment cables “plug into” the user-accessible ports for interconnection, instead of having to hardwire terminations of the inter-equipment cables and the user-accessible ports. A major advantage of using plugs and jacks is that to connect and disconnect the inter-equipment cables from the user-accessible ports requires only inserting and removing the plugs from the jacks (or vice versa), respectively. Thus, when the legacy communications equipment needs to be serviced and/or replaced, the inter-equipment cables can be disconnected from the corresponding user-accessible ports by removing the plugs from the jacks.
However, to keep track of the correspondence between the inter-equipment cables and the user-accessible ports for re-connection, each of the inter-equipment cables and/or user-accessible ports need to be labeled prior to disconnection. In addition, the configuration (e.g., order of removal/insertion and location) of the inter-equipment cables needs to be recorded or otherwise noted to ensure adherence to the aforementioned cable management paradigms. Otherwise, additional downtime of the communications equipment may result from needing to spend time determining the correspondence and for reconfiguring the inter-equipment cables to ensure adherence to the aforementioned cable management paradigms. Whether keeping track of the correspondence and/or configuration prior to disconnection or determining the correspondence and/or configuration subsequent to disconnection, the communications equipment remains unusable for the time spent doing so.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for interface connection management using a removable adapter for communications equipment, which, for example, obviates the need to individually disconnect and reconnect inter-equipment cables to service and/or replace the communications equipment.